Rail-joint.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

J. 1). JONES.

RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED PEB.1,1907- JEFFERSON DAVIS JONES, OF .l.l h\lPLE, TEXAS.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed February 1,1907. Serial No. 355,233.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEFFERSON DAVIS J ONES, a citizen of the United States of Amerlea, residing at Temple, in the county of Bell and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railroad track construction, and relates more particularly to rail joints of that type in which bridging or supporting plates are employed under the abutting portions of adjacent rails so asto cooperate with the usual fish plates to hold the rails in alinement and the treads thereof flush, and thereby reduce to a minimum the shocks and noise incident to the passage of a tram.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction of rail joints so as to be comparatively easy and in expensive to manufacture, composed of few parts, and designed to securely fasten the rails together and to the cross ties.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a simple and substantial bridge plate provided with main retaining devices for engaging the terminal portions of the ad jacent rails and with auxiliary retaining means for gripping the rails at points inward from the ends thereof.

Another object is to construct a bridge plate of the character referred to with depending and longitudinally extending fl anges to stiffen the plate and prevent relative sagging of the rails.

WVith these objects in view and others as will appear as the description proceeds, the

invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the rail joint. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof on line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bridge plate, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4.4, 1.

Corresponding parts are indicated by similar reference characters throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawing 1 designates the terminal portions of two abutting rails that are secured together by fish plates 2 and bolts 3 according to standard construction. The

1 adjacent ends of the rails equally overhang the cross ties at on which the rails are supported.

The bridge or supporting plate designated generally by 5, may be a casting or a sheet metal structure as desired. It comprises preferably a flat body 6 of rectangular shape having at its corners lugs 7 and 8, the latter of which extend laterally in the plane of the plate 6 and are apertured to receive the spikes 9. The lugs 7 are bent inwardly in the form of retaining hooks arranged in opposed relation to engage the bases 10 of the rails from opposite sides. The lugs 7 constitute the auxiliary retaining means which cooperate with the fish plates for preventing displacement of the rails.

At the middle portion of the plate 6 are oppositely arranged hook shaped retaining lugs 11 which are formed integral with the plate 6 and are adapted to engage over the abutting ends of the rails. These lugs 11 constitute the main retaining means for preventing displacement of the rails in cooperation with the fish plates. The lugs 7 and 11 are of suflicient length. to approximately meet the fish plates 2 as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The main retaining lugs 11 are each provided with an aperture 12 registering with an aperture 13 in the body or plate portion (5 of the bridge. Passing through the registering openings or apertures 12 and. .13 are bolts 14 that extend through the expansion space between the adjacent ends of the rails 1. These bolts serve to draw the lugs 11 and body portion 6 of the bridge securely against the bases 10 of the rails so that a stiff and rigid joint is provided.

To stifl'en the bridge plates so as to withstand shocks acting in a 'ertieal direction and also to prevent sagging of the rails, the

body portion 6 is provided with spaced longitudinally extending flanges 15 depending from the edges of the said body portion. These flanges or webs operate on the principle of a truss, as will be readily understood. The main retaining lugs 11 are preferably stamped out from the flanges 15 at their middle portions. It will thus be seen that the bridge or supporting plate for the rails is a unitary structure, and can be readily made as a casting or sheet metal structure.

The bridge plate 5 is arranged with its ends resting on two adjacent cross ties, the ties being slotted at 16. Fig. 1, for receiving the webs 15. The spikes 9 which pass through the apertured lugs 8 for holding the bridge plate in place, also engage the bases of the rails in the usual manner so as to contribute in preventing relative lateral movement of the rails. The rails may be placed in position on the bridge plate by a longitudinal movement whereby the bases of the rails engage under the retaining lugs 7 and 11. In case the bridge plate is a sheet metal structure the lugs 7 and 11 can be bent down into contact with the bases of the rails after the rails have been placed in position on the bridge plate. After the rails are so placed the bolts 14 are inserted and the nuts thereof drawn up tight.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof I desire to have 1t understood that the device shown 1s merely illustrative and that various changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:.

1. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails, a supporting member located under the abutting ends of the rails, and main and auxiliary retaining means on the supporting member arranged to engage over the bases of the rails.

2. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails, a sheet metal supporting plate having its longitudinal edges bent downwardly into strengthening flanges, upwardly bent lugs stamped out from the flanges and arranged to engage over the rail bases at their meeting ends, and

' bolts extending through the lugs and body portion of the plate for clamping the parts together.

3. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails, a supporting plate located under the rails, apertured lugs adjacent the corners of the said plate for receiving spikes, oppositely disposed retaining hooks adjacent the ends of the plate for engaging the bases of the rails,

means carried by the plate and arranged to grip both ends of the rails, and fastening devices for clamping the said means to the rail bases.

4. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails having their abutting ends spaced apart, a supporting plate disposed under the rails and secured thereto, oppositely disposed members on the plate arranged to engage the bases of both rails, and bolts passing through the members and plates and between the rails.

5. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails having their ends abutting, a supporting plate disposed under the rails and provided with longitudinally extending depending flanges, and retaining means stamped out from the flanges for engaging the rail bases.

6. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails, a supporting plate disposed under the same at their abutting ends and provided With de pending flanges, hook shaped lugs stamped out from the flanges and bent upwardly over the plate for engaging the bases of the rails, and retaining means on opposite sides of the said lugs for engaging the rail bases and cooperating with the lugs to prevent lateral displacement of the rails.

7. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails, a supporting plate disposed under the abutting ends and provided with longitudinally ex tending depending flanges integrally connected with the edges of the plate, hook shaped and oppositely disposed members connected with the plate, and bolts for clamping said members and plates to the rails.

8. A bridge or supporting plate for rails comprising a plate-like body having transversely extending apertured lugs at its corners, transversely extending and oppositely disposed members adjacent the ends of the body and formed integral therewith, oppositely disposed members at the middle of the body and formed integral therewith, and de-.

pending flanges extending longitudinally of the body at the side edges thereof.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JEFFERSON DAVIS JONES. IVitnesses:

H. H. SwINK, O. G. Jones. 

